Running without a fan shroud?

65cpe69mach1 · Aug 11, 2004

The fan shroud on my Mustang is pretty beatup. Would there be any problem running without it?
Car is running on the cool side at least according to the gauge.

Hopefully the gauge is working correctly.

Speaking of the gauge. How can you tell if its working the way it should?

Ozsum2 · Aug 11, 2004

Since you engine is still basically stock, you probably won't have a problem as long as your coolant mix and cooling system is in good shape. I don't have one on my 67 . Th PO took it off to accomadate the AC compressor.

Cobain03 · Aug 11, 2004

i run without one and still in the temp zone on my thermostat gauge

mine is pretty much stock except for the 4 bbl setup, dual exhasut, and all the chrome goodies

ratio411 · Aug 11, 2004

It is best to have one.
The shroud has a big affect on cooling.
Mine was beat up too, I sanded it, fiberglassed it back together, then sanded again, and painted semi-gloss black...
Good as new.
Good luck
Dave

Cobain03 · Aug 11, 2004

my car didnt have one, and someone replaced the 4 bladed steel fan with a 6 bladed felxifan type deals...so i cant get a shroud without replacing the fan to a normal steel one..
i see it as this way, a 4 bladed with shroud is almsot equal to a 6 bladed without

ratio411 · Aug 11, 2004

The number of blades does not keep you from using a stock shroud.
It is the diameter of the fan.
If the car came with a 16" 4 blade, you can use a 16" anything...
If you change the diameter, the shroud will either not work or not fit, no matter blade count.
Dave

Ozsum2 · Aug 11, 2004

Pull it off and see. Since you are in the big D, you may find you need it in July.

VictorII · Aug 11, 2004

The '65 didn't come standard with a shroud unless air conditioned. They aren't too costly; I think I paid around $20.00 for mine and it made a lot of difference. When you say yours is beaten up, is it reparable or does it need to be replaced? A rattle can of semi-gloss high temp paint and a little sanding and bending might be all you need. The repops are usually thinner metal and you will likely have to mess with it a bit.

65cpe69mach1 · Aug 11, 2004

VictorII said:
The '65 didn't come standard with a shroud unless air conditioned. They aren't too costly; I think I paid around $20.00 for mine and it made a lot of difference. When you say yours is beaten up, is it reparable or does it need to be replaced? A rattle can of semi-gloss high temp paint and a little sanding and bending might be all you need. The repops are usually thinner metal and you will likely have to mess with it a bit.

The car is factory air. Though I don't use it as it doesn't work well enough to make any difference.

And by beaten up I mean it looks like its been bent, scraped, pryed and twisted at various times in the past. Also, the clutch fan blade has minor damage at the outer ends of the blades. Looks like something has come in contact with the fan while it was spinning.

VictorII · Aug 12, 2004

65cpe69mach1 said:
The car is factory air. Though I don't use it as it doesn't work well enough to make any difference.

And by beaten up I mean it looks like its been bent, scraped, pryed and twisted at various times in the past. Also, the clutch fan blade has minor damage at the outer ends of the blades. Looks like something has come in contact with the fan while it was spinning.

How bad is the fan? It sounds like it came in contact with the beaten up shroud. If this stuff is all original, it might be worth working on it to try to salvage it. If not, ordering new stuff from a reputable Mustang parts vendor is a good idea. Also charging your A/C unit is probably a good idea. Might even consider a change to r-134. I don't know what that takes. But back to your original question, if your cooling system is in otherwise good shape, and you don't use the A/C you can try it without the shroud. The shroud is just there to ensure that outside air being pulled through the radiator and onto the engine. Without it, engine compartment air gets drug around by the fan and reduces the fan's pulling capacity. You might want to flush the radiator first, put in new coolant, distilled water and Redline WaterWetter. The redline product works quite well in my experience, reducing the operating temp. Plus it costs only around $7.00. If it runs hot without the shroud (but not all the way to the hot side of the temp guage) and $$ are an issue, then try just the WaterWetter.

ratio411 · Aug 12, 2004

I learn something every day...

I had no idea that earlier Stangs had metal fan shrouds.
Here I am telling you to fiberglass it back together.
Disregard that comment, I was working on a fiberglass shroud that had been cracked up and snapped in half.
Dave

Ozsum2 · Aug 12, 2004

ratio411 said:
I learn something every day...

I had no idea that earlier Stangs had metal fan shrouds.
Here I am telling you to fiberglass it back together.
Disregard that comment, I was working on a fiberglass shroud that had been cracked up and snapped in half.
Dave

I think 67 was the first year of the non-ferrous type.

67CoupeDriva · Aug 12, 2004

For what it's worth, my '67 289 2bbl did not come with one, and I've never had any overheating problems (live in SC, it gets pretty warm in the summer!).

302RWP · Aug 12, 2004

ive never had any problems without one either

Ozsum2 · Aug 12, 2004

67CoupeDriva said:
For what it's worth, my '67 289 2bbl did not come with one, and I've never had any overheating problems (live in SC, it gets pretty warm in the summer!).

It did unles you had factory air.

6Stang7 · Aug 12, 2004

I have no shroud, and I run the hell out of my motor a lot. I have never had it get passed 190 even on hot days in traffic.

Max Power · Aug 12, 2004

If you have a radiator that is more capable than the factory one, ie; three row or 24 inch in place of 20, you can usually get by without one. I run one anyway for two reasons.

Once, my fan tossed a blade, and if I had a shroud, it wouldn't have dented my hood, and..

Two, I work under the hood with the car running a lot, and it keeps me from getting a finger nipped from time to time.

65cpe69mach1 · Aug 12, 2004

Max Power said:
If you have a radiator that is more capable than the factory one, ie; three row or 24 inch in place of 20, you can usually get by without one.

Pretty sure the radiator has been replaced at some point but how do you tell if its stock or not?
How does a 3 row look compared to a 2 row?

allcarfan · Aug 12, 2004

Ozsum2 said:
I think 67 was the first year of the non-ferrous type.

Non-ferrous can mean brass, tin, copper, and aluminum too
Im sure you knew that already though

How exactly does a shroud contribute to cooling? I have always wondered.

Hack · Aug 12, 2004

allcarfan said:
Non-ferrous can mean brass, tin, copper, and aluminum too
Im sure you knew that already though

How exactly does a shroud contribute to cooling? I have always wondered.

It's just a few posts up...

VictorII said:
The shroud is just there to ensure that outside air being pulled through the radiator and onto the engine. Without it, engine compartment air gets drug around by the fan and reduces the fan's pulling capacity.

Running without a fan shroud?

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